Humpback Snapper

The Humpback Red Snapper (Lutjanus gibbus), also known as the paddletail snapper or hunchback snapper, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lutjanidae. This species is widely distributed across the Indo-West Pacific region and holds significant commercial value both as a sought-after game fish and a popular exhibit in public aquaria.

First formally described in 1775 by the Finnish-born naturalist Peter Forsskål, this species was originally classified as Sciaena gibba, with its type locality identified as the 🌊 Red Sea. The specific epithet "gibbus" translates to "humpbacked," referencing the steep dorsal profile of adult specimens.

The Humpback Red Snapper has a robust body with a standard length approximately 2.2 to 2.5 times its depth. Its head features a sharply sloped forehead, a developed knob, and a distinctive notch in the preoperculum. Tooth structures include a crescent-shaped vomerine patch without backward extension and a smooth, toothless tongue. Fin configurations comprise 10 spines and 13-14 soft rays in the dorsal fin, and 3 spines and 8 soft rays in the anal fin, with pointed rear morphology. The pectoral fins are composed of 16 to 17 rays, and the caudal fin is bifurcated with rounded lobes.

Individuals of this species reach a maximum total length of 50 cm (20 in), with a more typical measure being 45 cm (18 in), and a reported weight of approximately 2.8 kg. The maximum reported lifespan is 18 years. The coloration of this snapper is predominantly red or grey, accentuated by darker tones on the dorsal surface and head. Notable features include an orange tint on the lower gill cover and pectoral fin axil, with fins potentially exhibiting red hues or dark brown to blackish tones, bordered by a thin white margin. Juvenile specimens display a characteristic circular black spot at the base of the caudal fin.

Lutjanus gibbus exhibits a broad Indo-West Pacific distribution, ranging from the eastern African coast and the 🌊 Red Sea to the Society and Line Islands, extending from 🇦🇺 Australia in the south to southern 🇯🇵 Japan in the north. Notable presences include the Marquesas and Rapa Iti. In 🇦🇺 Australia, its habitat spans from Houtman Abrolhos to the Dampier Archipelago, extending to the outer Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea reefs southward to Moreton Bay in Queensland, with juvenile populations reaching as far south as Sydney. This species inhabits depths ranging from 1 to 150 meters (3 ft 3 in to 492 ft 2 in), associating with reefs where it congregates in large, stationary aggregations during daylight hours. Juveniles typically seek shelter in seagrass beds within protected sandy and muddy substrate areas, while larger adults are found in deeper coastal slope waters.

The diet of the Humpback Red Snapper primarily consists of fishes and invertebrates, including shrimp, crabs, lobsters, stomatopods, cephalopods, echinoderms, and ophiuroids. The spawning period predominantly occurs during spring and summer off the East African coast, with sexual maturity reached at approximately two and a half years of age, leading to the formation of spawning aggregations.

In 2010, the estimated catch of the Humpback Red Snapper was approximately 3,100 metric tons, of which 2,500 metric tons were unreported. This species is particularly important to 🇯🇵 Japanese fisheries and is primarily caught using handlines, traps, spearfishing, and gill nets. Commonly found in fish markets, it is usually sold fresh. However, consumption in certain Pacific regions has been associated with Ciguatera fish poisoning.